B Complex advice please

[Bertiepuss]

Hello lovely helpful people,

I have a few questions if someone knowledgeable would be so kind to answer please?

1. I'm going to start SI hydroxycobalamin and understand I need a B complex as well as one of the forms of folate supplement. I am opting for folinic acid drops that I can titrate up and down easily. Most B complexes I have looked at also have B12 and folate in them, does it matter that I will be getting additional B12 and folate through this supplement while injecting B12 and taking a separate folinic acid supplement?

2. I already have good levels of serum folate, in the upper 3rd of the range. How much folinic acid do I really need to take considering I am not starting out low please? I see recommended 5mg daily for EOD injections but maybe I don't need this much?

What B complex's are recommended without excipients and have the best/correct doses of all the B's? I have looked at so many now and just have no idea what the correct amounts for each should be other than not having B6 in the pyridoxine HLC format. Is it better to go with a low dose of each? No idea, any help is gratefully received?

[Nackapan]

You don't need 5mg of folic acid if you are well in range .

B12 should be treated before any folate supplements taken.

The NHS recommend 400mcg daily for women of child bearing age.

Try and go by your blood results on choosing what to supplement.

No worries of getting extra b12 orally as may not absorb it anyhow .

I would start low with anything .

It's a minefield and DIY .

After 5 years and 4-6 monthly blood tests .

I personally have settled for 2 different brands of a broad based multivit + mineral I alternate as a different mix.

Vit D and k2

Low dose iron ( otherwise ferritin then he drops)

Vit C+ zinc helps immune system and eat less fresh fruit in the winter.

My folate started at 5 (up to 26 top measured)

Only need 200mcg alternate days to stay at the top

Do need more vit D to stay at bottom of range ??

We all differ .

Hope that helps

[Bertiepuss in reply to Nackapan]

Thanks for your detailed response. Interesting you need very little folate to stay at the top now. I too supplement the other vitamins as you do and I have good vit D levels. Ferritin was desperately low and I was anaemic but I'm now supplementing iron and levels are slowly coming up.

I have been using sublingual B12 and folate for many years as I am vegan. What's strange is that when I stopped taking the B12 and folate supplement to do an Active B12 test my folate went up - from 15.7 to 18.9! I don't understand why this would happen so I'm not entirely sure what my true serum folate level is. I guess regular testing is the only way to judge what is happening, shame it has to be done privately at great cost.

[Bellabab in reply to Bertiepuss]

B12 and folate work handing hand so if you reduce B1 jabs the amount of folate used will fall and the amount in the blood will rise as a result. Thats why I take more folic acid when I am injecting more frequently. It might be possible to eat sprouts, beans and other folate rich vegetables instead.

[Bertiepuss in reply to Bellabab]

Yes, eat loads of those on a daily basis! Looks like I will only need to supplement a little folate but keep testing to check levels don't go low with injecting B12

[Nackapan in reply to Bertiepuss]

I've never had a private test.My G.p wants me monitored.

[Bertiepuss in reply to Nackapan]

That's good they are willing to do that. Mine are unlikely, I'm sure I'm labelled hypochondriac by now. They left me with anaemia as a child, only found out when I requested all historic blood results that I could see it for myself and my Mother said was never told. Plus, I have been iron deficient all my life but always been told I'm just a little low/normal and to improve diet. I have never had ferritin above 24ug/L! Hence one takes matters into one's own hands.

[Nackapan in reply to Bertiepuss]

If inhappy .Change Gps .

[viniciuspaiva08]

In my case, it was also needed to take other B vitamins, like B1, B2 and B3. Don't forget them

[Bertiepuss in reply to viniciuspaiva08]

Thanks for you reply, do you take them in a complex or as single vitamins?

[viniciuspaiva08 in reply to Bertiepuss]

Initially I took it in a multivitamin (GNC Mega Men), that's a very good one. Then I bought separately. I recommend you to take the active form of B6

[Bertiepuss in reply to viniciuspaiva08]

Thank you. Yes, I already take B6 in the active form. I'm trying to find the right B complex so I don't have to take separate vitamins but many complexes have very high doses which concern me or have folate in which as I have good levels of folate already I don't want to overdo it.

[B12life]

here's what I take:

A b-multi w/o b6

250 mg B1 - Thiamax or benfo max (the formula matters)

50 mg - B-6 P5P (must be p5p verfaion or you can get toxicity)

Vit - d / Vit. K-2

these are all taken orally.

I don't take folate. My folate levels are good.

I self iny with cyano or if I use hydroxo I would do EOD.

The b vitamins helped significantly with brain fog.

[Bertiepuss in reply to B12life]

Thank you, which B multi do you take, I can only find Desert Harvest without any B6? High doses of B1 make me itch all over so have to be careful there but of course we are all different with our needs.

[B12life in reply to Bertiepuss]

Desert harvest is the one.

Re: b1, I get it. Everyone is different.

What b1 did you high dose with?

[Bertiepuss in reply to B12life]

It was Source Naturals, Coenzymated B-1. Interestingly it's only 13mg per lozenge so not high dose at all and much lower than what you are taking. I assumed it was high dose as it caused such a reaction! 2 weeks of taking it and I itched all over, but no rash. Maybe the coenzymated part (cocarboxylase) was the problem for me or maybe one of the excipients. I'm beginning to think I might have to get all separate B's and introduce slowly so I can see if any one in particular causes a problem and also get the right form (which I need to learn more about). Will be much more expensive though and a pain to take!

I also haven't worked out if I do better with or without methyl's. I feel like I'm now going down a rabbit hole of B vits and getting more and more confused!